Melbourne manufacturer takes home entertainment to a whole new level

What happens when Australian product innovation and design imagination meet on the commercial beltway?

The answer in this instance is Melbourne based manufacturer of audio visual lifting and positioning equipment Ultralift Australia.

Not only has Ultralift Australia introduced a micro positioning technology to a functional range of widely used products, but it has also combined a unique design sensitivity.

In so doing, Ultralift Australia designers have taken audio visual aesthetics in the living and work space to a new level.

All Ultralift Australia products are manufactured in Australia with bespoke and uniquely engineered products now accounting for more than 75% of total sales.

And the company has now begun exporting its products to the world, with export sales fast approaching 10 percent.

Short production runs

High value, design intensive, short production runs are Ultralift Australia’s main market. That’s not to say they don’t have a standard “off the shelf” product range.

The company offers products suitable for education, conferencing, movie and TV production, leisure intensive housing, sporting and public events. They also have a screen mounting application which can be used in military vehicles.

The company has 15 employees including three full time CAD designers. While some local and federal Research and Development and export grants have been accessed, more than two thirds of all R&D expenditures have been self-funded from revenues.

Value add culture

A feature of all commercial success stories is the under-pinning organisational business community structure. This is an example of the value add culture displayed within Ultralift Australia. A complementary supply chain structure has been developed by the company where, for example, some machine cutting and coatings functions are handled by local Australian partner organisations that are a part of the Ultralift Australia quality manufacturing circle.

Similarly, Ultralift also adds value by focusing on the highest quality delivery lead times. It offers some of the most demanding product delivery schedules in the industry, delivering fully bespoke designed and manufactured product within 21 days of receiving customer approval.

Developing exports are clearly part of the company’s future strategy.

And Ultralift CEO Ken Woollard admits exporting can be a challenge.

Exports require focus, adequate resources and intensive follow up to be successful, he says.